Wednesday, May 21, 2008

ScanLife and Other Camera Scanning

Earlier this year we took at look at ScanLife, a down loadable program for camera phones that lets them be used as scanners. Unfortunately it does not allow the camera to scan the common 1D product bar codes, or even regular 2D bar codes, but only a proprietary 2D code called an EZcode. You aim your camera at the code and it interprets it, beeps, then takes some action, say sending an e-mail, or bringing up a web page. Worked well during the test. Unlike other attempts at this ScanLife has thought it through commercially. Applications like free samples, price comparisons and extended information are obvious. At the right is an (incompatible) 2D QR Code.

It won't work with all providers or cellphones, visit the site above to see which. We tested with Verizon and HP. I was reminded of the test by some rumors that it was now available on the IPhone. Don't believe everything you read, because it's not available yet.

Some have cynically compared the idea to the much ridiculed Cuecat, which we also tested. It depends much on the critical mass of enough codes being out there to entice the phone user to download the software, or ultimately to have it automatically loaded on phones.

There is much value to having a scanner capability on a cellphone. Though it should have the ability of interpreting multiple kinds of codes, 1D, 2D and others and preferably those that meet open standards. It may be the only way to achieve a critical mass common enough to get the attention of the consumer.

Indirect encoding (patented by NeoMedia) is the process of linking the target information to an index (364528 for example) and putting that unique identifier into a 1D UPC/EAN or 2D barcode. The code reader on the mobile phone reads the barcode and sends the code data over the Internet to a central resolution server that will tell the mobile phone what action is associated with the index, i.e. access a URL, download media, initiate a phone call, ect.

NeoMedia Technologies has a suite of twelve issued patents covering the core concepts behind linking the physical world to the electronic world dating back to 1995. These patents cover various linkage methods including: Barcodes, RFID, Mag Stripe, Voice, and Other machine readable and keyed entry identifiers.